


tide

by oneEyedking



Category: Naruto
Genre: Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Cute, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gaara gets many kisses, Kazekage Gaara (Naruto), M/M, Naruto is Just Naruto, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:40:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21937597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneEyedking/pseuds/oneEyedking
Summary: "Today." Naruto grins, clapping his hands, "You're gonna learn how to swim."Gaara feels himself go pale under his shield.
Relationships: Gaara/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 17
Kudos: 287





	tide

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a secret santa even in a discord group I'm in so this is for Itachi! I hope you like it!

"Today." Naruto grins, clapping his hands, "You're gonna learn how to swim."

Gaara feels himself go pale under his shield. Then he shakes his head and takes a step back. He knew there was a reason Naruto took his hand and lead him to the lakeside after he was finished meeting with the Hokage, but he figured the blond wanted to train, or talk. 

"No. No thank you." Gaara says, sand shield rushing to craft a small, low barrier between Gaara and the river. 

Naruto just smiles in that infuriating and slow way he does. Gaara feels himself go from pale to flushed in an instant, and the sudden rush of blood to his head almost makes him dizzy.

Gaara knew he liked Naruto to a startling degree, so he wasn't surprised that it was Naruto who was making him dizzy when he so much as smiled.

"Gaara…" he starts, walking up to the Kazekage casually, "You're gonna have to learn eventually, ya know?"

Gaara shakes his head, taking another step back. And his shield doesn't even respond to Naruto. He just strides past the sand and the shield just rushes back into his gourd, swirling. 

Gaara tries not to feel somewhat betrayed. Of course even his shield is susceptible to Naruto just being...himself. Even his sand was weak for the blond just being his usual, bright, sunny, handsome, courageous self--

Gaara shook himself out of it. That thinking is how he ends up in these situations to begin with. He had to be firm this time. He couldn't let Naruto have his way. Because the  _ last _ thing Gaara wants is to have to get in the lake that rushes to the shore in front of him.

"No. No, I don't. I live in the desert." Gaara says, trying not to look as panicked as he felt.

The blond stops right in front of him, and now Gaara has to deal with Naruto so close--

Why was Naruto always getting close to him, touching him and  _ smiling _ at him like that?! Didn't he know that it made it hard for Gaara to  _ think? _ For him to resist whatever wily plans Naruto's come up with?

And when he can't think he makes terribly stupid decisions like agreeing to go in a lake because when Naruto smiles like that Gaara's head had a habit just going blank...

It wasn't fair and Gaara hardly stood a chance.

Gaara tried not to stare at the firm chest that was right in front of his face. He took another step back.

Naruto took a step toward him.

"What if you're fighting someone who uses water jutsu?" Naruto asks.

"Magnet Release. I'll be fine."

Blond brows furrow, "Magnet release? What's that? You have a jutsu I don't know about?"

Gaara uses the opportunity to defend himself, "A bloodline trait, actually. So I don't need to know how to swim."

Naruto tilts his head, smiling again, "It's still a good skill to have."

"I don't need it." Gaara says.

Naruto suddenly takes another step closer and Gaara makes a  _ terrible _ mistake. In his surprise, he looks up into blue eyes. 

Oh... _ oh no. _

"Okay then, what if I say it'll be fun?" Naruto says.

Gaara panics because he's already losing, and he can feel his resolve slipping away from him because Naruto just...got to him. No matter what.

Infuriating.

"Naruto, that's...a lot of water. And my shield--"

"I'll be with you." Naruto says, wrapping arms around Gaara's waist and pulling him close, "I'll hold ya the entire time, ya know?"

Gaara clenched his eyes shut, knowing that he's already given in. The verbal tic that Gaara finds so endearing is one of his weaknesses when it came to Naruto. 

But truly, Naruto as a whole was Gaara's weakness. Everything he did and every expression he made…

He shakes himself out of it.

"I can't I...have my skin shield on." Gaara tries feebly.

Naruto's lips graze Gaara's forehead scar and that's it. It's over and Gaara's given in. Arms tighten around him and Gaara knows he's lost.

"Take it off. I got you." Naruto murmurs, pressing lips to Gaara's cheek, "You know that...Gaara…" 

Gaara's face goes hot.

~~~~~~

Gaara's twenty-four and learning how to swim. Like a  _ child. _

Naruto had laughed in victory and pulled him to the edge of the lake, pulling off his own shirt before doing the same for a quietly grumbling young Kazekage. 

Gaara hated water. He hated being undressed in public. 

He hated Naruto. Because only the blond could get him to strip down to his underwear in a forest before jumping into a  _ lake. _

No one else could even make him consider doing this, but two bats of Naruto's eyelashes and Gaara just gave in.

Gaara frowns at the water at his feet. At least his fear of the water distracted him from how  _ undressed _ Naruto was. 

He was sure that's the only reason why he could even think once Naruto took his shirt off.

"Naruto…" he tries. Gaara feels pathetic, like he's whining. 

_ But that's a lot of water. _ This can only lead to disaster, he's sure. 

Naruto takes his hand, giving him that smile again--

And then Gaara is letting Naruto lead him further into the water. Green eyes stay on Naruto's grinning face and bright eyes--focused in Gaara--and he ignores the coolness of the lake slowly rising to his waist.

But Gaara hesitates when the water rises up his chest and he feels the sand beneath him start to dip. The Kazekage stops and clutches Naruto's hand, muted terror starting to creep into his expression. 

Naruto stops and turns to fully face him.

"I got you." Naruto smiles.

And then he pulls Gaara into him as he takes another step back. 

Gaara stumbles into his arms and feels the ground beneath them get a bit lower. He scrabbles to hold onto Naruto, making a sound he would fully deny if Naruto brought up later. Water splashes in Gaara's face from his own flailing panic, and it's cold enough to be shocking and rather upsetting.

Gaara hates this. He hates it.

Naruto laughs brightly, wading further into the water as Gaara clings to him and clenches his eyes shut and tries not to lose his mind.

Gaara's sand doesn't even respond, just swirling about on the shore. Like it's leaving the protecting up to Naruto. Like even the sand trusts him.

Naruto's voice is gentle and low in his ear.

"Just hold on to me. Wrap your arms around my neck." Naruto smiles softly, wading further in slowly and keeping one arm around Gaara's waist, "I got ya…"

Gaara's grip tightens once he felt the sand disappear from under his feet. He clings to Naruto and tries to keep any shred of dignity he has. 

That thought goes out of the window as soon as Naruto wades further into the lake, the water rising higher and the ground completely disappearing. Gaara expects to sink immediately, and he clutches at the other man and tries not to lose it completely.

But he is gripping Naruto incredibly tightly, and that gets him a chuckle from the firm body against him. It also earns him a kiss to his forehead scar and his cheek.

Which maybe makes this a bit better, Gaara's willing to admit.

Kisses from Naruto…helped. Always did.

"Gaara, do you really think I'd let anything happen to you?" He smiles, sunny and  _ handsome _ and  _ that's not fair _ because now Gaara is distracted and--

"No." He says, though he eyes the water around them warily, "It's just…"

Naruto's going to get what he wants out of Gaara like he always does, every single time. Gaara curses his own weakness. One sunny smile from the blond and he caves. 

And now he's going to die in a lake in Konoha. All because Gaara is gay for Uzumaki Naruto.

The elders will be furious.

Gaara mentally kicks himself. He's such an idiot. Such a weak, gay _idiot._

"Hey, don't think so much." Naruto chuckles, tightening his hold on Gaara's waist, "This is nice though, right?"

Gaara glared at the blond, feeling his face heat up. He glared harder to compensate for the fact that he was blushing. And the effort made his face even redder.

Even Gaara knows it's not very effective.

When he was up against Naruto's smile, laugh or touch he was doomed to lose. Every time.

"I...suppose." Gaara murmurs, still wary of the large body of water they float aimlessly around in, "It's...cold, though."

Naruto laughed and held him tight, leaning back slightly to float and holding a very wary Gaara close. After a few moments of floating without dying a terrible death by drowning, Gaara relaxes just the tiniest bit. It may also help that Naruto was pressing small kisses to his hairline to distract him from the fact that he was in more water than he was comfortable with.

By the end of the day he's learned to doggy paddle, though it's weak and he could never be in the this lake alone, but he can manage to stay afloat himself for a few seconds. Naruto hadn't let go of him once, and they spent the entire day in the water, Naruto instructing Gaara and Gaara trying not to drown or embarrass himself too thoroughly.

By the time the sun starts to set they're gasping bedside the lake, their back to the grass and staring at the sky side by side. Gaara's shirt clings to his wet skin, but he doesn't pay it any mind.

Gaara's muscles feel like he's been sparring for hours, and he feels the exhaustion settling in his bones. Naruto grabs for his hand, looking a lot less fatigued. Gaara heard swimming was tiring, but Naruto probably did it enough that he was used to it.

"Hey," Naruto smiles, sitting up and leaning over the Kazekage, "Come back to my place for some ramen?"

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to intrude…"

Naruto gives him an amused look, "Why would I feel like you're intruding? I love being with you, ya know?"

The heat basically explodes in Gaara's face. He doesn't know what to say, so he says nothing. Naruto had a way of doing that, completely disarming him. The blond could render him flustered and speechless. 

Only him.

Gaara nods, face as red as his hair.

Naruto chuckles again, "You're cute, ya know?"

Gaara looks at him sharply, surprised.

"N-Naruto--"

"C'mon, let's go eat something." Naruto smiles, taking Gaara's hand.

They walk back to the village, dripping wet--hand in hand.

**Author's Note:**

> :)


End file.
